Apparatus for separating and concentrating minerals.



No. 784,999. PATENTED MAR; 1 1905.

A e. A. GOYDER & E. LAUGHTON'. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND GONGENTRATING MINERALS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 5, 1903.

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NITED STATES Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE ARTHUR GOYDER AND EDWARD LAUGHTON, OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING AND CONCENTRATING MINERALS- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,999, dated March 14, 1905. Application filed August 5,1993. $erial No. 168,332 v To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, GEORGE ARTHUR GoY- DER, analytical-chemist, a resident of No. 2 Pirie street, and EDWARD LAUGHTON, company manager, a resident of Nos. 2A to 28 Currie street, Adelaide, State of South Australia, Commonwealth of Australia, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus for Separating and Concentrating Minerals, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to efiect the separation of minerals and extract some of them as concentrates. We have found our apparatus to be specially effective and valuable in separating zinc-blende from its gangue, consisting principally of quartz and rhodenite.

Our invention may also be applied to the separation of some other minerals which are subject to the gas-raising operation hereinafter described.

In giving effect to our invention minerals in a finely-divided state are fed by suitable appliances into a shallow tank or vessel containing an acidulated or other suitable solution, to which vessel heat may be applied, if required, in any appropriate manner. The result of the ph'ysicochemical action which develops is the formation of gas-bubbles adhering to particles of certain of the finelydivided minerals and causing such particles of certain minerals to rise to or near the surface When the gas-bubbles reach the surface of the solution, they burst, thus releasing the adhering particles, which being released sink toward the bottom of the vessel. In order to catch these disengaged particles, certain mechanical appliances are introduced into the vessel. These mechanical appliances, which cover the horizontal portion of the vessel, where the separation of mineralstakes place, consist of inclined planes or deflectorplates, which receive the impact of the rising particles and deflect them from one side or the other of their vertical course upward. Intermediately between the inclined planes or deflector-plates are V-shaped troughs, so disposed and arranged that their edges underlie the inclined planes or deflector-plates with narrow spaces between them. The eifect is that as the gas-floated particles of minerals rise from the bottom of the vessel they strike against the inclined under sides of the V- troughs and of the deflector-plates and travel upward in an oblique direction and are guided through the spaces between the troughs and deflector-plates to or near to the surface of the solution. The gas-bubbles then burst, and the disengaged particles of minerals sink vertically in the solution and are caught in the troughs, while the particles of other minerals which are not acted upon by the solution do not rise, but remain at the bottom of the vessel and are called tailings.

One of the solutions suitable for our purpose is a mixture of four per cent. of sulfuric acid with ninety-six per cent. of water at a temperature of 200 Fahrenheit.

Mechanical devices consisting of endless chains are installed in any appropriate manner in the tank or vessel. To these chains are attached rakes, consisting, preferably, of transverse wires at intervals for the purpose of moving the finely-divided minerals and tailings along the bottom of the vessel. Similarmechanicaldevices, with scrapers attached, move the concentrates which have been deposited along the trough. The discharge end of the vessel is inclined upward, and the tailings are moved by the rakes up this incline and are discharged at the end. The discharge end of the troughs is also inclined upward, and the concentrates are moved by the scrapers up this incline and are discharged at the end. The deflector-plates do not extend over the inclined portion of the bottom of the vessel; but the V-troughs extend beyond the whole length of the vessel.

In order that the invention may be properly understood, reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the entire apparatus. Fig. 2is a longitudinal vertical section of the same, taken on the line 1 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of the apparatus, taken on the line 3' 4 of Fig. 2.

E is a hopper for feeding the pulverized ore into the apparatus.

L is a chute into which the pulverized ore will fall from the hopper E, such chute extending downward to a point near the bottom of the shallow tank or vessel A, which will be filled to the top of the deflector-plates with the necessary solution. The bottom of the tank or vessel A is horizontal throughout a portion of its length, but is inclined upward at 0 toward the discharge end. Underlying the horizontal portion of the bottom of the vessel A is a steam-jacket B or a flue for the purpose of heating the solution in the tank or vessel A. Overlying (and at a short distance above) the bottom of the tank or vessel A are inclined planes or deflector-plates D, adapted to receive the impact of the gasfloated particles of ore which rise from the bottom of the tank or vessel Aand cause such particles to deflect or move to one side or the other of their natural vertical course upward. Intermediately between the inclined planes or deflector-plates D are V-troughs C, so disposed and arranged that their edges shall underlie the inclined planes or deflector-plates D with small spaces R between them. The result will be that as the gas-floated particles of ore rise from the bottom of the tank or ves sel A such particles will strike against the inclined under sides of the V-troughsC and of the deflector-plates D, and will be guided through the spaces R between the troughs and the deflector-plates to the surface of the solution in the tank A. The gas-bubbles will there burst, and the particles which had been adhering to them will sink in the solution and be caught in the troughs (1.

Certain mechanical devices for causing the finely-divided ore to travel along-the bottom of the tank A are illustrated in the drawings. A driving-shaft G is driven in any appropriate manner. On the driving-shaft G are keyed sprocket or chain wheels K, which mesh with endless chains H, that pass under and over guide sprocket or chain wheels K K. To these chains are attached transverse rakes F. (Shown only in Fig. 2.) The transverse rakes cause the finely-divided minerals to travel along the bottom of the vessel A, which minerals during their passage are acted upon by the solution contained in the vessel. The rate of speed of the chains and rakes and the rate of feed of the ore into the apparatus will be adjusted to the requirements of the special kind of ore under treatment at the time, so that a maximum quantity of ore relatively to a good concentration will be passed through the apparatus. Similar sprockets P, with their meshed chains N and scrapers M, are employed for withdrawing the concentrates from the V troughs C. The tailings after they have been depleted of the concentrates will be conveyed by the rakes F to the discharge end S, and the concentrates will be conveyed by the scrapers M to the discharge end T.

The tank A may be supplied withthe solution and the latter be maintained at a constant level by a perforated pipe or other convenient means. The solution may be recovered from the tailings and concentrates while washing in an ordinary manner. lVe do not make any claim to the solution hereinbefore referred to, nor do we wish to claim any particular solution as essential to the working of the invention.

The apparatus is constructed of material not subject to considerable deterioration from the action of the acid or chemicals used and is preferably of copper. The vessel is shown rectangular and may be horizontal, but is preferably partly horizontal and partly sloping upward, as shown in the longitudinal section, Fig. 2.

It will be suificient to mention that the apparatus, (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3,) is about four feet across; but variations are permissible in the size, the height of the machine, the angles of the inclined planes and troughs, the width of the intervening spaces between the overlapping inclined planes and the troughs, the spacing of the rakes, and other details.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is- 1. The apparatus for separating minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates consisting of a vessel adapted to contain a solution, the floor of such vessel being partly horizontal and partly inclined and provided with means for'heating the solution, a feeding-hopper extending across one end of the said vessel adapted to feed ore or minerals in a finely-divided state, a series of transverse rod-rakes, and means for moving them at a regulated speed along the bottom of the vessel from the feed to the discharge end, inclined deflectors along and above the bottom of the separating portion of the vessel, trough-receptacles arranged parallel with the said deflectors and at such distance from the bottom of the vessel as to enable the gas-raised particles of mineral to be deflected, guided, deposited and collected therein, sloping extensions of said troughs and angular rakes for discharging the concentrates from the troughs through the sloping extension of the vessel.

2. In apparatus for effecting the separation of minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, a vessel provided with inclined deflector-plates and V-shaped troughs, the said deflectorplates being arranged alternately with and so that their deflecting planes extend at an angle to and overlap the sides of the V-shaped troughs which latter underlie the deflector-plates and receive the particles of mineral as they are deflected by the said plates, substantially as herein described.

3. In apparatus for effecting the separation of minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, a vessel having inclined deflectorplates and V-shaped troughs, the former being arranged with their deflecting planes extending to and overlapping the sides of the latter, and a series of transverse rod-rakes adapted to be actuated at a regulated speed and to cause the minerals to travel along the floor of the said vessel as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. In apparatus for efiecting the separation of minerals and extracting some of them as concentrates, a vessel having inclined d eflectorplates and V-shaped troughs, the former being arranged with their deflecting planes extending at an angle to and overlapping the sides of the latter, a series of transverse rod-rakes adapted to be actuated at a regulated speed and to cause the minerals to travel along and over the floor of the said vessel and a sloping extension adapted to enable the transverse rod-rakes to discharge tailings, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our invention We have signed our names, in the presence of tWo Witnesses, this 18th day of June, 1903.

GEORGE ARTHUR GOYDER. EDWARD LAUGHTON.

Witnesses;

CHARLES NIoHoLAs CoLLIsoN, ARTHUR GORE Common. 

